Officials confirm Idaho’s first human plague case since 1992

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Officials confirm Idaho’s first human plague case since 1992

(Getty Creative)

BOISE, Idaho — Health officials confirm an Idaho child was infected with the plague this week, the first human diagnosis in the state since 1992.

The Idaho Statesman Journal reports the child, from Elmore County, is recovering after receiving antibiotics.

Central District Health Department epidemiologist Sarah Correll says the disease is spread to humans through a bite from an infected flea.

Cases of plague in Idaho were diagnosed in squirrels as recently as 2016, though none have been found in southern Ada County or Elmore County this year. It is unknown whether the child was exposed to the disease in Idaho or during a recent trip to Oregon.

The Statesman says there here have been two cases of plague in humans in Idaho and eight in Oregon since 1990.